By Sarah Baafi
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to establish a committee early next year to oversee the implementation of wide-ranging constitutional reforms.
The move follows the submission of the final report of the Constitution Review Committee in Accra on Monday, December 22.
Speaking after receiving the report, President Mahama said some members of the review committee would be appointed to the new implementation body to ensure continuity and preserve institutional knowledge. He stressed that the government would first scrutinise the document thoroughly, adding: “I have handed it over to the Legal Council and the Attorney-General. They will review it, and we will see how to synchronise our views.”
The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has proposed a raft of amendments to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. Key recommendations include separating the executive from Parliament, extending the presidential term from four to five years, explicitly affirming that a President cannot seek a third term, and restructuring the Council of State to reflect its original 1969 design.
Other proposed reforms address the role of traditional authorities and broader governance arrangements. The committee has called for a review of the involvement of chiefs in local government, improvements in public sector appointment procedures, and measures to curb excessive partisanship within state institutions and services.
The proposed implementation committee is expected to guide how these recommendations are translated into law and practice.
